Use Your Heart, Not Your Guts
by CloudKitsune17
Summary: Amarant and Blank have a moment that draws them together... CLASSIC-old-STORY, read at your own risk.


**Use Your Heart, Not Your Guts**

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Pairing(s): Amarant x Blank

Summary: Amarant and Blank have a moment that draws them together... CLASSIC-old-STORY, read at your own risk.

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It was a beautiful morning. Sun shining just over the hills that surrounded the land of Lindblum. Outside of the town, on the lush land below, the earth smelt strongly of fresh dirt and grass. A wonderful scent after being cooped up inside a busy town such as Lindblum.

Monsters and moogles ran wild and free out here. Sure, moggles were free to walk around in town, but monsters were only allowed in the town for the Hunter Chance. But here... all were free out here. Even... ugh... ooglops!

Blank gave the little bugs a grimacing glare. The moogles that had decided to cuddle near him were fine, but those nasty little orange critters just... just...

"GWA--!!" -_Sploosh_-

...just got smashed by a very large foot.

Silence fell over the small forest, moogles and ooglops stupefied by the large man's action. Blank remained quiet as well, but it wasn't for the same reason as the little ones. No, he was too busy trying not to blow chunks at the sight of icky, sticky, _thick_ ooglop guts stretching from the grass strands to the bottom of the boot that rose for its owner to see what he stepped in.

"...What are you staring at?" a deep voice demanded rather then asked.

"Y-y-you uh... oh... ugh..." was the only thing Blank got out, his sight failing him as everything died to darkness. A faint feeling of wind rushing at his back as he fell, Blank heard his moogle friends' earlier kuus turned into squeals as they ran back into the forest, stubby little paws making them prance more then dash.

"...What did I do now?" Was the last thing Blank heard before, finally, submitting to unconsciousness.

--

Consciousness slowly returned. First feeling something cold and wet against his forehead. Second the soft sound of a rippling river and the grumble of someone's breath. And soon, his eyes began to flutter open, red orbs glazed over, unfocused. It wasn't until things turned from blurry black to a pure green and blue did Blank finally awaken fully.

The earlier sounds were from a small stream of a river, deep enough for a full sized moogle to walk through at waist height. It ran only a couple feet away from where he lay, head resting on something hard yet soft. Looking skywards, Blank could barely make out the other's face, shadowed by the sun overhead. But whoever it was, was dabbing his forehead with a wet cloth...

...Wait a sec?!

"Wh-where's my..?" Blank stuttered out, a hand sluggishly raising to tentatively touch his damp forehead and frontal bangs, in search of an item he never removed. Ever.

"Oh, this thing?" the deep voice inquired, holding his belt bandanna into the others' view. Seeing hands try to, almost blindly in their eagerness, grab at the said item, the man gave a chuckle as he pulled it away. "Sorry, kid, but letting you wear it makes it difficult for me."

"Difficult for you?!" Blank snapped, glaring up at the other stubbornly. "It hurts to stare up at the sun without protection for me! You don't have that problem, ya bastard!!"

"Hn, feisty one, aren't you?" grunted the taller man. With a huff, two large hands gripped Blank's shoulders, heaving him up to sit, before forcing him to turn around to face the man who had him at his, seemingly, mercy.

"A-Amarant?!" he yelped, shocked.

Suddenly, the memory before he fainted came back full force. The dredlock redhead had stepped on an ooglop and made a little show for Blank to see the thick yellow-orange goo that was once the insides of a bug. And thanks to that reminder, he was feeling ill all over again.

"Hey... you all right?" Amarant's deep voice asked with a hint of concern. Blank's natural pale skin was starting to turn an ill green on him again. And another fainting spell was not going to help any! But thanks to the absence of his belt bandanna, it was clear to see the disgusted horror shining in those red eyes.

"I think I'm going to be sick..." Blank groaned, turning to face away from the other with a hand covering his mouth. He feared he might puke if he thought of that nasty ooglop another minute longer...

Looking down at himself, blue skin and bulky from greeting his line of sight, Amarant asked aloud, "What? Do I look like shit or something?" Taking a quick sniff under his armpit and shrugging he added, "I don't smell _that _bad do I, kid?"

Blushing over his greenish skin, Blank gave a short laugh. No, no," he mumbled through his hand, a childish laughter sparkling in his red orbs, "It's not you... It's... what you did."

"I insulted you somehow?" Amarant rose an eyebrow, scratching at the back of his head.

"Mm..." Blank shook his head, "No, not insult. More like... sicken. Grossed out."

"How's that better?"

"It's not by much," Blank laughed again, amused. "But if you insulted me, you'd have my bros on your tail. Protective bastards, they are..." Smiling warmly at the thought of his Tantilas family, hand falling away to run through his red locks, Blank added looking up at Amarant, "All you'd get from grossing me out would probably be me puking all over you."

"Lovely thought," grunted the older redhead.

"If you like that kinda thing," the smaller shrugged.

A pause stretched between the two. A bit uncomfortable but still pleasant. It was just a pleasant silence, with only the sound of their breathing, the small river rippling, and a few birds and moogles chirping and kuuing not too far off. It was... very nice, in Blank's opinion.

"...So, feeling better?" Amarant broke the quiet atmosphere with that curious question... But Blank didn't mind.

"Ya, better," the smaller redhead nodded, shifting his position on the ground so that his rump was flat on the grass covered round, knees drawn up to rest his chin against. Watching the water trickle down its destined path, shimmering in the sunlight, Blank gave a small smile, "Ya, definitely better."

"That's good," Amarant huffed, leaning back into a tree, hands held behind his head coolly. Giving a grunt after another period of silence, the dreadlocks man asked, "Hey... I have a question for you, kid."

"Blank," he semi snapped back, but his facial expression remained peaceful and pleased.

"Huh?" was the older man's intelligent response.

"My name," Blank hummed, his eyes slowly moving from the river to meet Amarant's hidden orbs, "Is Blank. Not kid."

"Oh..."

"So, what did you wanna ask me?" Blank hummed again, this time stretching out his arms and back in one fluid movement. One that Amarant couldn't pull his eyes from.

"Oh, well..." scratching at the back of his head, he finally asked, "How would... What would you like in a lover? How would you like them to approach you for the first time?"

Silence fell between the two suddenly after. Amarant's form was stiff, too nervous to move, while Blank gave him a seemingly endless, emotionless stare. It was as if the kid was looking right through him, if nothing else.

Before Amarant made a fool out of himself and did the uncharacteristic action of sweating in nervousness, Blank's small but lush lips opened to speak. Thank Shiva!

"I guess I like them to be forceful," he started, eyes still locked onto Amarant even as his eyes glazed over in thought. "But not so much they control everything I do. That would make them unbareble to be around. And as for how I'd like them to approach me..." Blank gave the older man a small smirk, "I'd like them to be blunt and take action. But they had better think about what they're getting themselves into, 'cause I ain't no cheap fucker one night stand like my bro, Zidane."

"So... You like your chicks committed?" Amarant inquired, scratching at his mustache covered chin.

The earlier smirk grew wider. Standing up, dusting his rump off for any strands of grass, Blank gave Amarant one more lance as he replied, "Whoever said anything about chicks?"

Before the dreadlock man could respond, Blank had already turned on his heals and started his way back to Lindblum. Watching the small redhead walk off with a pleased sway to his hips, Amarant was suddenly drawn to the idea of running after the other and tackle him with a hug. An odd thought for him, that was for sure.

Amarant had tackled Blank just as he wanted, only instead of a tackle hug, it was a tackle fall.

With a cry of a yelp, Blank was forced to the ground by Amarant's sudden weight against his back. It wasn't until a minute of laying sprawled out under the older man did Blank's mind finally captured the information of what had just happened.

Sighing with a bit of trouble, how the others' weight was great compared to his own, Blank did his best to turn his head to look up at the man. "What is it now, Amarant?"

"Oh, well..." Trying to build up his lost pride and picking himself up off the other, pulling Blank up along the way, he let out a grunt as he spoke. "I just wanted to tell you I'm heading to Lindblum myself, so we might as well walk together. Monsters can be a hassle when you travel alone."

"So you had to tackle me?" Blank asked, raising an eyebrow, not convinced.

"Yes," was the blue skinned man's simple and blunt response. Almost jumping with glee, Amarant pulled out Blank's belt bandanna he had snatched and bribed, "I'll give this thing back once we reach the city."

"What? Like payment on a safe travel trip to Lindblum?"

"Sure, whatever," Amarant shrugged, hiding the belt from sight and out of reach for the small redhead couldn't steal back easily.

Huffing a sight of slight irritation, Blank began to make his way back again, with Amarant at his side this time around. It was a rather silent journey, how neither wished to speak. Blank just wanted to reach his home and bros, and just relax the day away in one of the busy districts. And for Amarant... Well, he wasn't fully sure. He had the need to follow the little redhead. But not even he could do that for a too long a time without looking suspicious to Blank and everyone else. He stood out too much with his skin color and height, after all.

"...Why you visiting?" Blank suddenly questioned out of the blue.

"What?"

"Why are you visiting?" Blank simply repeated, "Is it to see Zidane or a meeting with Regent Cid?"

"Neither," Amarant grunted.

"Oh... Just traveling around then?"

"In a way... But I'm searching for something," the taller man shrugged, not showing any emotions of caring about this conversation.

"What's that, may I ask?" Blank wondered, looking at the other with open curiosity?

"You may ask," Amarant answered, smirking down at the childish look Blank made, "But that doesn't mean I'll answer."

"Ah!" was the others' gasp of insult, glaring up at the other quickly after before speeding up his walking pace to reach Lindblum faster, throwing over his shoulder a huffed, "Jerk..."

Sighing with a growl, Amarant was able to easily catch up with the smaller one, throwing a large hand over Blank's shoulder and spinning him around to face the older man. Seeing the curious light in Blank's glare-slitted eyes, Amarant knew it was now or never. No more dancing around that damned bush. It was time to destroy that annoying weed and win his prize on the other side of it!

Moving quickly, Amarant had let his rough blue lips crash into soft, yet chapped, plae ones. Blank gave a slight struggle to escape the sudden attack on himself, but soon felt his stiff body relax... melting slowly as Amarant drew him closer into an embrace, one large hand rubbing the small of his back like it was a beloved kitten, while the other gripped at his waist, fingers toying at Blank's leather underwear-looking strap. It didn't take long after until Blank found himself responding back, hands wrapping around Amarant's neck to pull himself closer, forcing himself on his toes thanks to the others' amazing height.

The two remained like that for some time, only breaking apart for a few seconds to catch their breath before their lips locked in another heated, passionate kiss once more. It wasn't until Amarant had pushed Blank down into the lush grass again did the two pull back, panting and wanting more.

"Amarant..?" Blank asked, or more like breathed, eyes questioning the other instead of using words. It wasn't needed.

Smirking, enjoying the position of towering over the small one, _his_ small one, Amarant responded with more control, "I'm willing to take that risk... Blank."

Smiling charmingly, Blank chuckled as he replied, "You better be. 'Cause my bros didn't take my breakups lightly, either."

"Damn," Amarant snickered, "Your 'bros' really are over protective of you, aren't they?"

"Yep," the redhead nodded, leaning up a bit to reset his lips against Amarant's in a soft kiss. Pulling back, eyes shimmering a special glow only Amarant could see, ended, "It's all part of the risk. Still willing to take a shot?"

A short pause fell then, Amarant watching Blank as Blank watched him back. It was only when the older man rose a hand to brush a few dredlocks out of his eyes for Blank to see the two deep, dark blue orbs from beneath, did Amarant finally give his answer.

"More then ever."

**-owari-**


End file.
